Overview
Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte is an Antitrust partner at Paul Hastings and the chair of its Brussels office.
A Harvard-trained lawyer with a doctorate in law, Salomé represents clients before the European Commission, national competition authorities and the European courts, with a standout track record in merger control, cartel investigations and complex antitrust matters across jurisdictions. Consistently recognized by Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading antitrust lawyer, she has been regularly featured by Global Competition Review as one of the world’s leading antitrust practitioners in its “Women in Antitrust” report.
Praised by clients for her “brilliant” and “spot-on advice on the legal issues, as well as on the required strategy to get the best results,” Salomé offers companies solutions on their most complex antitrust issues. Currently serving as a nongovernmental adviser to the European Commission (DG COMP) on merger control at the International Competition Network (ICN), she brings exceptional legal precision and strategic acumen to global transactions. She has secured unconditional regulatory clearance for some of the world’s most prominent companies under the EU’s complex regulatory regimes, including merger control, FDI and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Her expertise spans the full spectrum of EU competition law, including dominance and conduct cases, state aid and emerging regulatory frameworks such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
In 2018, Politico Europe named Salomé among the “Women Who Shape Brussels” in recognition of her impact as a competition lawyer. Her thought leadership is regularly featured by the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Global Competition Review, with recent contributions addressing EU merger control reform and enforcement actions involving major digital platforms.
Beyond her practice, Salomé currently serves as president of the Harvard Law School Association in Europe and as a member of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Nominating Committee. She is also an officer of the Merger Working Group at the International Bar Association (IBA) Antitrust Section. In 2021, she was appointed fellow of Aspen Spain.
Salomé holds degrees in Law and Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Deusto (Spain), an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (USA) and a Ph.D. in Law from the European University Institute (Italy). She has also completed executive education at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and INSEAD, bringing a board perspective to her advisory work. She is fluent in Spanish, German, English, Italian and French.
Accolades
- Women in Antitrust, Global Competition Review
- Recommended, GCR 100, Global Competition Review
- Women Who Shape Brussels, POLITICO Europe
- Thought Leader in Competition, Who’s Who Legal / Lexology Index
- Ranked lawyer, Competition: EU, Chambers Global & Europe
- Leading Partner, Belgium — Competition: EU and Global, Legal 500
- Shortlisted, Best Academic Article on Digital, Antitrust Writing Awards, Concurrences
- Client-nominated, Stand-out Lawyer for Competition, Thomson Reuters
- Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Antitrust Enforcement
Education
- INSEAD, International Directors Program (IDP), Executive Education
- European University Institute, Ph.D. Law
- Harvard Law School, LL.M.
- University of Deusto, B.A.
- University of Deusto, J.D. (summa cum laude)
Representations
Merger Control, FDI and FSR
- Atlas Holdings on its £263 million acquisition of currency printer De La Rue, a printer of banknotes for the Bank of England and governments around the world.
- AURES Holdings, a leading multibrand pre-owned vehicle retailer in Central Europe owned by Abris Capital Partners, on its acquisition by EP Equity Investments (EPEI) of Luxembourg.
- Blackstone Infrastructure on its acquisition of a £235 million stake of AGS Airports (AGS), a platform of high-quality freehold airports providing access to key U.K. markets, from AviAlliance.
- EVO Payments, a leading global provider of payment technology integrations and acquiring solutions, on its $4 billion acquisition by global payment technology and software company Global Payments.
- Exterran Corporation, a global leader in natural gas compression, processing and treatment, on its $1.5 billion acquisition by energy infrastructure company Enerflex in an all-stock deal.
- Glatfelter Corporation (now Magnera Corporation) on its $3.6 billion merger with Berry Global Group’s Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business, resulting in the creation a global leader in the specialty materials industry.
- Mativ Holdings, a global leader in specialty materials, on the sale of its Engineered Papers Business to Evergreen Hill for $620 million.
- NCR Atleos Corporation, the end-to-end ATM management and services company, on its $6.6 billion sale to The Brink’s Company, the global cash management company, to create a leading financial technology infrastructure company.
- Utmost Group, a leading provider of insurance and savings solutions, on its acquisition of Lombard International Assurance Holdings.
- Weatherford International on its acquisition of Datagration Solutions.
Engagement & Publications
Recent Publications
- "Does the DMA allow for effective compliance?" European Digital Competition Day, Speaker (2026)
- “Geo-blocking, copyright, and the boundaries of EU competition law: Case T-172/21 Valve v Commission,” Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, Author (2025), article shortlisted for the Best Academic: Digital, 2026 Antitrust Writing Awards by Concurrences and The George Washington University Law School and the GW Competition Law Center
- “European Union: Commission zeroes in on innovation in merger control and pay-for-delay cases,” The GCR Guide to Life Sciences — Third Edition, Author (2024)
- “European Union Regulatory Challenges Complicating Development of International Green Hydrogen Projects,” The Global Regulatory Developments Journal, Author (2024)
- “European Union: Commission Intensifies Merger Review Focus on Pipeline Products and Pay-for-Delay Cases in the Spotlight,” The GCR Guide to Life Sciences — Second Edition, Author (2023)
- “EU Illumina-Grail Fine Cools Cos.' Merger Control Approach,” Law360, Author (2023)
- “Microsoft Takeover Shows the Need For EU-UK Cooperation,” Law360, Author (2023)
- “A New Era for Merger Control : An Increasingly Fragmented and Uncertain Regulatory Landscape,” CoRe, Author (2022)
- “A Power Grab Too Far? The European Commission Extends Its Merger Control Reach,” ABA Antitrust Law Section Podcast, Guest (2021)
- “EU Competition Policy for the Digital Age – Key Developments and Emerging Trends,” Competition Policy International (CPI), Author (2019)
- “Huawei/ZTE: Towards a More Demanding Standard of Abuse in Essential Patent Cases,” Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, Author (2016)